Bent Elementary School is celebrating 100 years in the community this year. Nick Bussan, currently Bent's longest-serving teacher, has been there for 25 of those years.
And when he says the staff at the Bloomington school is like a family, he means it. Bussan met his wife, Nikki Bussan, at Bent not long after he began teaching there in 1999.
Bussan said he loves teaching in the same building as his wife because the two are always there to support each other. But that sense of support is something that can be felt throughout the entire building.
"The whole staff is like one big, giant family," Bussan said on WGLT's Sound Ideas. "We always strive to help each other out and help the kids, and so it's a wonderful place to be."
Linden Miller, who will be entering fifth grade at Bent this year, agrees. So much, in fact, that her experience as part of the Bent family has inspired her to become a teacher one day.
"I really like all my teachers," she said. "And I want to be just like them."
And where would she like to teach?
"Bent."
That's the magic of the Bent Elementary community, explained Harriett Steinbach, a Bent parent and PTO member who's helping plan a celebration of the school's centennial next month.
"It's such a special place." Steinbach said. "And I think a huge part of that is the teachers and just the culture of the school."
It's a culture that stretches back generations, she said. As she spreads the word about the centennial celebration, Steinbach has met a lot of Bent alumni who've told her that their parents — even grandparents — attended Bent as well.
"There's just so much excitement and connection to this event that I don't think we always see with every elementary school experience," she said.
But Steinbach stressed that everyone in the community, not just Bent alumni, are invited to join in the festivities that will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7 at the school, 904 N. Roosevelt Ave.
Activities will include tours of the historic building that was designed by noted Bloomington architect Arthur Pillsbury, interactive art exhibits, and historical artifacts.
More information can be found here.